Lamp connector



June 27, 1939. J. wERTzHElsER 2,153,902

LAMP CONNECTOR Filed Jan. l1, 1958 l nvlallfllrlrrrrllzlfl u Y I BY q. M 95u74,

' y ATTORNEY INVENTOR Patented June .27, 1939 PATENT OFFICE LAMP CONNECTOR Joseph Wertzhei-ser, New York, N. Y., assigner to Leviton Manufacturing Company, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 11, 1938, Serial No. 184,353

2 Claims.

My inventionrelates to lamp connectors and more particularly to a separable cap for use with the type of lamp having end.

It is an, object of my invention to provide such a connector which is readily and securely attachable to the lamp and also readily detachable therefrom and which will not be materially aiected by repeatedjattachments and detachl ments. Other objects and features of my invention will be apparent from the drawing of an illustrative embodiment of my invention and the following specification.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a lamp having a connector at each end; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a connector;A Fig. 3 is a partial vertical section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and having a lamp in place; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken alongthe line 4-4 of 'Fig'. 2.

In the form of my invention shown in the accompanying drawing, a lamp I is supported at each end by a connector consisting of acontact cap 2 and a base 3. .A switch 4 may be incorporated in the base 3 ifdesired, as shown at the left of Fig. 1.

-The base 3 consists of a shell 5 of insulating material inside of `which are located spring contacts 6 having a terminal connection screw l.

The contact cap 2 consists of a cover 8v of insulating material having an upstanding lip 9 and a central projection or hub I I). Embedded in said hub there is a metallic rivet VIl securing a con- `ductor plate I2 inside of the cover 8. Said plate fits over the hub I0 and is substantially circular in shape except for an extension I3 which proa contact ferrule at each jects through larropening I4 in the lip 9. The extensionI3 has spring fingers I5 formed integrally on it and lying in a plane at right angles to the plane of the plate I2.

The spring ngers I5 are arranged` to engage the spring contacts 6, .thus holding the cap 2 to base 3 and connecting the conductor plate electrically to the source of current through the termina] screw'l.

A circular lamp-holding plate I6, preferably having a diameter the same as that of the conductor plate I2, rests against the conductor plate and is held thereagainst in close conducting rela- 50 tion 'by a clamping plate I1 which overlics the periphery of the lamp-holding plate I6. and has vits edge bent over the edgcof the conductor plate I2 throughout the greater portion of the periphery of the latter.

The center of the lamp-holding plate I6 is'cut (Cl. 173-4328)l out to form a group of upstanding spring fingers I8, the shape of each of which' will be adapted to the particular ferrule used on the lamp to be held in the connector. In the arrangement shown, a lamp ferrule I9 has a central depression and rtherefore the group of -spring fingers are arranged in a circle and each is preferably curved, as shown, so that when the cap is in place, the curvature of the lingers will cause them to .spring outward to press against they wall of the recess in the lamp ferrule I9.

While for some purposes, it will be suflicient to have these spring fingers depending for their elasticity entirely on the metal from which they are formed, I iind that there are advantages in having .these fingers inherently relatively weak," and then to supply the necessary resilience by means of a separate spring 20, such an arrangement being illustrated in the drawing, said spring being in the form of a ring and located inside the group of ngers so as to press each/of them outward. By this means, the resilience of the holding arrangement will be maintained even after the spring lingers are snapped into place in the lamp ferrule a large number of times, which would not be likely to be true if the stiiness of the metal of the fingers alone were depended on for their resilience. l

0n the other hand. I nd it of advantage to have the conductor plate I2, and particularlythe contact spring fingers I 5 formed integrally there' with, relatively stiff. The connector arrangement which I have provided enables the use of diierent metals or diierent thicknesses of the same metal for the conductor plate I2 with its spring fingers I5 and the lamp-holding plate I6 'with its spring fingers IB. Moreover, byhaving the lamp-holding plate formed independently of thc conductor plate, any desiredA conformation of the spring lingers I8 can be adopted without interfering with the attaching means for holding the conductor plate in the insulating cover.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that many of the details thereof may be varied within wide limits and I do not, therefore, limit myself to the precise form shown and'descrlbed.

I claim:

1. A connector including an insulating cover having a recess, a conductor plate placed in said recess and having an integral line contact extending through a slot 4in said cover, a rivet embedded in a wall of said cover and extending through and over said conductor plate to hold it to said cover, a lamp-holding plate having a. group of circularly disposed upstanding spring fingers, a. spring within the group ci said fingers and arranged to normally hold said `fingers outwardly, and clamping means holding the two plates in good electrical contact with each other.

2. A connector including an insulating cover having a recess, a conductor plate placed in seid recess and having an integral line contact extending through a slot in said cover, a rivet embedded in a wall of said cover and extending through and over said conductor plate to hold it to. said cover, a. lamp-holding plate having' a group of circularly disposed upstanding spring ngers, and clamping means holding the two plates in good electrical contact with each other.

JOSEPH WER'TZHLISERP 

